Rescue
by it'scurtainsforyou
Summary: Katelyn Cainson is a mutant selected for Stryker's 'special' team. There she re-meets old friends and meets some one new. Deadpool/WadeWilsonxOC
1. Chapter 1

Before Stryker found us in Mexico, my brother and I had been living for a long time. We had fought in almost every war in American History since 1914, from WWI to Cambodia, and every one we fought in, we always came out on top. We were invincible with our indestructable metal skin and bones and our never-ending life. We could survive anything. Machine guns tickled. Bombs felt like a warm patch you'd put on a sore spot on your back. I hid my gender for generations. Every man I ever came across in the military thought I was a man.

Early on, it was easy to let Abram to do the talking, because back then, a mute solider wasn't as uncommon. After WWII, however, we had to start switching up the story. Mainly because sons of the men we fought with would recognize us from photographs or names or stories of the brothers who never die. Abram and I went through numerous stories, ranging from me losing my hearing during a combat practice gone wrong to me being so scarred from our 'rough' childhood that I never spoke.

We were twins, born on November 16th, 1901. We were seventeen when we fought our first war together. We barley looked twenty-two when we finished our last. Abram looked older than me in a manly way, but that was expected. I'd managed to keep my gender hidden for years. The guys just figured that I was a girly-looking guy. But they never doubted my strength on the battle feild, or Abram's.

Abram and I found out we were mutants when we were young. Growing up with a call-girl for a mother was difficult. It meant a lot of teasing and a lot of fist fights. When we were six, Abram broke a boys arm just by punching it. When we were seven, I tried to punch a girl but missed and hit the wall instead when she ducked. It didn't hurt, and the wall cracked. When we were nine, we got into a fight over who got the last strawberry from the market. We tumbled for it, right there in the street. In the end, Abram had a bruise on his left cheekbone, my pinky was broken, and we had managed to knock over several buildings. The rubble littered that address in Brooklyn for months, and we swore never to fight against each other again. At least, not physically.

We grew strong together, we fought together. We depended on each other. After Cambodia, we were haunted night after night by the realism of the horror of wars. The government labelled us nuts and sent us to a special hospital in Mexico. We weren't crazy, we both knew that. We were just over-used in war. But the US government didn't feel the same way we did, and locked us up. When they found out I was a woman, they were even more upset than before. The Mexican hospital turned out to be a secret US prison camp.

We lived in a damp, dark cell for years before William Stryker found us.

Thaty day felt no different from any other day. Abram was carving stick figures into the wall. He liked depicting scenes of violent murders. I was replaying war memories, specifically Normandy, staring at the light reflecting off the damp Northern wall of our four-by-four-by-ten cage The only reason we stayed in was because it had our one weakness. We could survive explosions and bullets and knives and hits.

But we could not survive electrocution. Sick bastards.

The door bolted opened, and light creaked in. It burned our eyes.

"Hello, gentlemen," he said, then looking at me and then my record, "Pardon me, Ms. Cainson."

"It's-"

"Don't speak," Abram ordered. He didn't like me talking to authority. I glared at him, but shut up. "What the hell do you want?" Abram demanded, looking at the man in our doorway suspiciously. The man grinned at us.

"Prickly bastard, aren't you?" he said. My glare turned to him. I could have killed this weakling in seconds. He was middle-aged, probably okay with a gun (like that was going to do anything to me), and dressed like the top guys from DC; dress shirt, tie, dress pants, coat. He must have been boiling, but the only sign was the sweat going down his neck. My glare hardened.

"Don't talk to my brother like that," I ordered, murder a clear intent in my eyes. No one hurt Abram. Especially not some asshole from Washington. His grin grew.

"Protective," he muttered, looking dazed for a moment before he came back to look at us with the eyes of a general. "My name is Colonel William Stryker. I've heard a lot about you two."

"It seems everyone has. What the hell do you want?" Abram said, repeating his question. I looked from my brother to Stryker, who had a smirk on his face as he looked us in the eyes.

"How would you two like to _really _serve your country?"

And that, essentally, is how I ended up in Stryker's 'special' team. We work 'special' operations, too. It's full of 'special' mutants, just like Abram and I.

Special meaning physcho. The second I walk into the room, I realize three very bad things about my situation.

1. I'm the only girl.

2. The guys are staring at me like I'm all you can eat buffet.

3. I'm stuck with these idiots until Stryker tells me otherwise because he saved me from eternity in a top secret prison camp in the middle of the Mexican rainforest.

Damn, I'm screwed.

"Well, Katelyn," Stryker says, looking at me expectantly. I think he wants me to introduce myself. I glare at him defiantly.

"You failed to mention that I would be the only woman in the team, sir," I bite out, my anger flaring. The guys hoot.

"You scored one for us, boss! High five!" a handsome man with two swords strapped to his back cheers. Stryker glares at him. He smiles at me. I glare, using the glare I earned from years. It's better than Stryker's by a long shot. The man laughs nervously and slowly backs away.

"I figured it would not be a problem, considering your previous situations, Katelyn," Strkyer smoothly explains. I glare at a place behind his head but nod.

"You fail to understand that the men I previously fought with never knew I was a woman."

"How they hell did they not notice?" some guy mutters. I decide it's a compliment, to an extent. I don't glare.

"We will not discuss this further, Kateyln."

"Fine, sir," I give in, but only because Abram's eyes are begging me to back off before I get myself in trouble. All the men in the room stare at me. I look back. "What, you idiots retarded or something?"

"You're hot," the man with the swords says. I roll my eyes, grabbing my bag from the floor and throwing it over my shoulder.

"Idiots," I mutter, shaking my head. I need a shower, a good meal, and sleep. Endless sleep. Before I make it to the doorway, a black man appears out of thin air, literally. "What the hell-?!"

"Hi, John Wraith," he says, sticking out his hand. I look at it curiously before shaking it.

"Katelyn Cainson," I say. "Really deteremined to introduce yourself, aren't you Wraith?"

"I'd like to apologize in advance for anything any other man here says," he explains. I nod, smiling.

"Simple enough," I say. "Does that hurt?" I ask out of curiousity. He raises an eyebrow so I explain myself. "The teleporation."

"Stings a bit," he admits, shrugging apathetically. "How about I introduce you to the rest of the team?"

"That would be good," I say, looking at my brother. "Abram, come on. You can be you later. Just know their names."

"Fine," Abram says reluctantly. Stryker watches us. When he catches me looking, he quickly exits the room. "So who the fuck are you?"

"John Wraith," John says, looking at my brother and then to me, then speaking to me only. "You've been through a lot, haven't y'all."

"I remember them. They've probably lived almost as long as us," a man says gruffly, smiling and revealing saber-like teeth. Abram smirks at him. I smile.

"Victor. It's been a long time," Abram says, shaking his hand in a way that shows they've been through war together. Victor grins at me.

"I gotta admit, Cainson. You played a damn good mute male solider. Fooled me twice, if I believe."

"Both world wars. Girl's got a talent in acting. I knew by the first though," James says, smiling as he comes into the room in only a towel. He has the same hair and build as he did when I saw him last years ago. Brown hair, hazel eyes, beard that frames his face. "Caught her getting dressed once," he explains to a confused Abram and Victor. Abram glares.

"You saw my sister naked?!"

"Not on purpose, Abram, relax. I socked him into next week after I found out some one was watching," I reassure, then look at James. "Of course, it didn't do much thanks to your healing abilities."

"Still hurt worse than a cannon ball," James mutters, rubbing his ripped abs at the memory. I smile, looking down. James grins. "Take a compliment once and awhile, Kate. Now that I can give them to you in public."

"Stop hitting on my sister," Abram orders. James and I roll our eyes. Victor laughs.

"Still protective as ever, Abram," he shakes his head. Abram nods.

"You bet your life I am," he looks at Victor's extended hand, which is pointed in my general direction. "Touch her, Victor, and I'll rip your balls off. Grow those back."

"Aren't we just a ray of sunshine?" the man with two swords says, swaggering over to our solider-love fest. "Name's Wade Wilson," he says, taking my hand before I have time to take it back. He kisses it, then smirks cockily. Abram growls.

"Get away from my sister."

"I don't think she wants me to," he says, winking. James steps in.

"Wade, I swear to God if you don't shut up-"

"Whatcha gonna do, kitty-cat? Claw me?" Wade asks like a smart ass. I sigh.

"I'm going to take a shower," I mutter, walking towards the hallway.

"Need a partner?!" Wade offers. I shake my head, smiling because I can't help it, and walk into my room. While I take my shower, I can hear Wade ramble as James and Abram beat the living shit out of him.


	2. Chapter 2

It's four o'clock in the morning when some one starts banging on my door. They better have a good reason for this, or else they're going to find themselves socked into next week. It's the only night I've slept peacefully and on a bed in years. I slip out of bed, clad in a largely over-sized T-shirt. Stryker has failed to fill his promise of clean clothes, but then again, it's only been one day. Barely a day, even. I run a hand through my hair before I unlock the sliding door. It slides open with a slight mechanical noise. Wade stands in my doorway, twirling one of his swords with his other hand behind his back. He smiles.

"Good morning, Beautiful," he says, trying to play the charming card. It's early in the morning. I don't fall for that trick until at least eight-thirty.

"What do you want, Wade?" I ask, crossing my arms and glaring up at him tiredly. I realize he must think I'm some kind of joke. 5'5 with no upper body muscle to show and size three hips. I look more like the dancer at a strip-club than the bouncer, a job I've been offered numerous times. He looks down at my legs, stares for a minute. I blush but snap in front of his face, bringing him back to earth. I repeat my question. "What do you want?"

"Boss says it's time to get up. We're training today. He also told me to give you these," he says, handing over a handful of clothes. "It's my tank top and a pair of James' pants. It's about the only stuff we could come up with that might actually fit you."

I hold out the pants. They're too long, but they don't look like they'll fit me. I sigh.

"I'll stick to mine," I say, jerking a thumb towards the worn, torn, and dirty jeans I've worn for the past several years. I managed to wash them in the shower with soap. They still look like they were on the rails of a God-awful train wreck, but they're better than James' pants, which will fall off before I even make my first attempt to walk in them. Wade shrugs.

"Suit yourself, Beautiful. Breakfast is in a half an hour. You've got the luck to be stuck with six guys on a high protien diet. Better watch that."

"I think I can handle it."

"In fact, I think it might be getting to me," Wade says, smiling slyly as he comes closer. I look up at him, skeptical.

"Might want to get that reported to your doctor."

"I don't have one. Care to fill in for him?" Wade asks, wiggling his eyebrows. I roll my rainforest-colored eyes.

"I have to get dressed, Wade. I'll see you in the kitchen," I say, punching in the numbers for the door to shut. Wade grins.

"So what, are you going to wear a blindfold during the sex or-"

"Wade! Get the hell away from my sister!" Abram shouts, thundering down the hallway. I laugh at Wade's scared shitless face as he bolts down the hallway, but not before he manages to sneak a kiss in on my cheek.

"See you in the kitchen, Beautiful!" he shouts. Abram yells in outrage. I sigh, smiling.

"If you're alive!" I call after him as my door shuts and I walk back into my room. I turn on the strereo Stryker provided for my room (it was one of my many demands) and crank it to almost ful volume. Music I've never heard blasts through the room. There's a lot of drums, a lot of screaming, and good guitar. I like it. I leave it on as I wash my face and tie my hair back in a messy bun, putting little effort into how I look. I put on chapstick, mascara, and eyeliner, three out of the four make up products I actually know how to use. I pull on my jeans. They feel a lot better now that they're washed with soap. A bit stiff, but they'll be fine. I pull Wade's tank top over my bra. It's like a dress on me, considering Wade is at least 6'2, but despite the fact that it goes down over my jean pockets, it does fit well. I take time to stretch and put on the deodarant I find in the cabinent where I found shampoo and soap the ngiht before. I lock my door on the way out.

The kitchen, or whatever the hell Stryker calls a kitchen, is small and cramped with six male very well muscled bodies all over six feet tall. I weave my way through three guys I don't remember meeting last night and manage to grab a pan. James' looks at me questioningly as he sees me raid the refrigerator. I speak over the voices of the guys.

"You can go on and eat whatever the hell that 'high protien' crap is, but I'm making myself a real breakfast even if I have to murder every man in my line of sight," I say, starving. James looks at the bar he's eating and tosses it over his shoulder, then kicks back in his chair and looks at me expectingly. I sigh. "Fine, I'll cook for you too, James."

He grins.

"You can cook?!" Wade practically yells once he realizes what James and I are talking about. I nod simply, getting out eggs. I hope they're not rotten. "Make me some!"

"Fine, fine," I say, too busy looking for flour to care. Abram comes in, but I already knew I was cooking for him. John smiles at me.

"'Scuse me, miss Katelyn. Would y'all mind if-"

"She's my cook, Wraith! Get the hell away from my woman!" Wade declares. I glare at him. He smiles.

"Sit down and I'll cook for you, John. Keep distracting me and I'll never get this done!" I yell at Wade. He keeps smiling at me. John puts his hands up and then sits down next to James and Wade.

"What you cooking? That crap you made back in Iper?" Victor asks, sniffing around.

"Hope not!" James says, laughing.

"I'm making pancakes. I'm cooking for everyone else, it seems, so sit down and thank your goddamn lucky stars that you have a woman on your team."

"AMEN TO THAT! SEX, FOOD, AND SOMETHING PRETTY TO LOOK AT!" Wade says as if praising God. Abram growls.

"Don't make me castrate you, you son of a bitch."

"Yes ma'am," Victor grins, ignoring the current background conversation as he salutes. He sits at the table. The three guys I have yet to meet look at me oddly. I roll my eyes.

"That's right! Obey my woman, Victor!" Wade says proudly. The guys look back and forth from me to Wade. I pinch the bridge of my nose while speaking to them.

"I have no idea who you three are, but I'll cook anything you want if you manage to tie Wade up and keep his mouth shut."

An hour and 120 pancakes, twenty sunnyside up eggs, and fifty slices of toast later, the house was a wreck, Stryker was yelling at us for bad behavior, and Wade was trying to pull ducktape off his mouth with his feet.


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

The team goes through an hour of Stryker's bitching before he leads us outside to train. I figure we're somewhere in South America, but not anywhere I've been. The house turns out to be right near the ocean. The sun is barely rising, and it's not on the ocean. Pacific ocean, then. I stare at the sun rising over the lush vegetation of the costal forest we're in. A breeze comes in from the ocean and calms me at first, but when it becomes violent, it reminds me of D Day. Memories flash before my eyes; German swears, screams of anguish, the ocean ruby red with blood, and death. Too much death. So much death. There was nothing I could do to save them, either. All I could was kill men on the other side. More wars flash before my eyes; Korea, Vietnam, Iper, Turkey, Armenia, the German death camps, the starved Cambodians, the brainwashed Koreans.

A million years in a prison cell wouldn't wash away the horrors I witnessed and remember in my dreams.

"It gets better," James suddenly says, next to me. By the look in his eyes, I can tell he's remembering many of the same things I am. I slide my glance back to the sunrise, squinting.

"It's been at least twenty years, James," I mumble, the wind whipping the loose strands of my hair around my face. "And I'm a woman."

"Here I though you'd be one of those crazy feminist types who proves that women are better than men in all ways," Victor teases. I look at him in all seriousness.

"There's only one reason women are never in the front lines, and that is that we care far too much to deal with the death that men do," I say. Stryker yells something in the distance. Victor leaves, eager to fight. James stays with me.

"Are you sure you want to fight today?" he asks, putting a hand on my shoulder with the rest of his arm slung around my back. I nod, gripping my upper arms with my hands so hard they might leave bruises.

"If anything, fighting some one in good nature is the only thing that keeps me away from the memories," I say, smiling sadly. James nods, understanding.

"Come on," he beckons, guiding me with his arm to the group. Abram looks at James. They share some type of weird guy eye-language that I theroize is telecommunication using their brains. Abram nods and James almost takes his arm back. He keeps it there when he sees Wade glaring at it. I sigh inwardly.

It's going to be a long however-long.

"Today will be mostly spent training. The men will train. Katelyn," he addresses me, "you will be escorted into town by a man of your choice to shop for your nesseceties."

"Thank you, sir," I manage. I hope shopping will get my mind off of things. I'm a girl. I haven't shopped in decades. Let's hope that's some motivation.

"I'll go!" Wade volunteers eagerly, raising his hand and waving his arm around to prove his point. Abram glares at him with the power of absolute death before punching him so hard in the jaw that Wade's actually knocked back several yards, crashing into a tree. Wade rubs his jaw and pops it back into place. "Damn, Cainson, I was only looking out for her."

"I'll escort Katelyn, sir," James says. Victor and Abram raise their eyebrows.

"If you want to go shopping for an entire day," I say, shrugging. James looks at Abram and, again, they share that freaky instant-guy-knowledge thing.

"It's better than putting up with Wade," James offers. I smile.

"That's true. Come on," I beckon. We start to walk towards the car not too far away, James putting a hand against my back just to make sure, though I don't know what he thinks I'll do. As I look back, Wade draws his sword and points it at James, eyes jokingly menacing.

"YOU TOUCH MY WOMAN, JAMES, AND I'LL... WELL, I'M NOT SURE WHAT I'LL DO, BUT IT WILL BE SLOW, PAINFUL, AND INVOLVE POINTY THINGS!!!"

James gives Wade the middle finger with his free hand.

* * *

"You done, woman?" James shouts as he sits outside of the changing room. I wriggle into a pair of cargo pants and a low cut black top. I roll my eyes as I do so and then step out into the abandoned hallway of the small tourist store.

"Well?" I ask, fidgiting. James says nothing, only stares. "Okay, James, silence does not help. I have no idea what looks good considering I've worn men's military attire for years and-"

"Kate, you look great. Stop rambling, get the stuff, and let's get the fuck out of here," James says simply. I nod.

"Sorry. Just with the nightmares and the new stuff with Stryker and-"

"Kate, stop rambling and let's get out of here. It's as hot as hell and I'm willing to buy everything you got in this store if it means us getting out of here," James argues as I walk back into the dressing room to take off the clothes and put Wade's tank top and my jeans back on. I shrug.

"You're the one who volunteered."

"I only did that so that Wade wouldn't get to go and try and sneak peaks at you while you were changing. I was simply looking out for you," James bites back. His facial expression and crossed arms somehow remind me of a stubborn child. I laugh silently, grabbing the stack of clothes from the corner of the small and rundown dressing room.

"I honestly don't think Wade is as bad as you make him out to be, even if he can't keep his mouth shut," I complintate. James scoffs, but I change the subject before he can start telling me how stupid I am for even thinking that Wade is somewhat normal and possibly funny. "Can I drive back?"

"I've seen you drive. There's no way in hell," James growls, shoving money at the clerk, who stares at the stack of green bills with wide eyes. I doubt he's seen more money in his life. "I drive. End of story."

"Fine, but I pick the music."

* * *

By the time we get back, something called Right Round is blasting through the Jeep's speakers. I dancing in my seat, yanking the tie out of my hair and tossing my head around. I'm in a far better mood than I was this morning. James parks the car and I grab the giant bag of clothes and other stuff from the back. I slide out of the car with grace and sway my hips in my stride towards the 'house' with renewed happiness and rocketed energy. The same song is blasting in the stereo system in the 'house' thanks to Bolt. James follows me inside and, of course, the first thing I hear is Abram.

"James, I swear to God, whatever you did to make my sister so damn happy better not be anything perverted." Abram is happy to see me so energetic for once, but he's wary. "And stop staring at her ass."

"It's kind of hard not to," James argues as I twirl around still half-dancing, half-strutting towards my room. Zero raises his eyebrows.

"For once, I've got to agree with you, James," he says. Abram glares at them both but doesn't move, instead settling on cursing himself for letting me act like a girl for the first time in ninty years when I'm surrounded by four guys he absolutely hates and who would actually dare to try something.

"You guys want dinner?" I ask, setting the bag down near the hallway and then putting my hands on my hips. The guys are, not for the first time, speechless. My anger sparks back into place, as usual, and I glare at them. "Hello, are you retards deaf? I asked if you wanted dinner!" Still no answer. I glare. "Zero, I swear to God if you don't stop staring at my chest, I will kick your ass so hard, your nose will bleed."

This, thankfully, gets their attention.

"Sounds good."

"Great. Great. Sorry."

"Yeah..."

"As long as it isn't that shit you made in Iper..."

"What's going on?" Wade asks, coming into the room sweaty and shirtless. I blush and hope he doesn't notice. Which is ridiculous, because I've been in the military with all men for decades. Then again, the last twenty years were spent with my brother in a stone cage...

Wane notices. Oh yes, he does. A cocky smirk practically glows on his face. "Aw, look at this. Beautiful, I never thought you'd be the type to blush, with your tough girl attitude and all."

"Stop hitting on my sister!" Abram yells. I blush even harder and get started on looking for something edible to cook for dinner.

"Yeah, give the rest of us a chance," Bolt jokes. It makes everyone laugh except James and Abram. Typical. Wade sits on the counter while I cook. Abram sits at the table not too far away, and the rest of the guys sit in the ajacent 'living room'. Bolt plays Xbox against Blob. I give it ten minutes before a brawl breaks out over who won.

"So, Beautiful, whatcha makin'?" Wade asks, looking at me eagerly. "I'm starving."

"For you? I'm making rice laced with arsenic. For everyone else, I'm making Jumbalia."

"My type of food? For real, Mizz Katelyn?" Wraith asks, coming into the room smelling like he came out of the shower. At least he has the decency to be dressed and not sit on the counter, unlike a certain some one.

"Yes, Wraith. I thought you guys would enjoy it."

"Damn right I will," Wraith says, happy. He poofs away and then reappears near the TV to watch Mortal Combat.

"Aw come on, you don't hate me that much, do you, Beautiful? We just met last night," Wade presuades. I give him a teasing look.

"So, after one day, you're trying to get in my pants, but you think it's took early for me to hate you?"

"That's completely different," Wade instantly defends. I give him a look. "Don't you give me that look, Ms. Attitude."

"Don't make me get them to tie you up again," I threaten. Wade rubs his chin.

"That ducktape hurt like a bitch-"

"Aw, poor baby Wade," I taunt. He pouts.

"It hurt!" he whines, crossing his arms. If he wasn't acting childish, he'd look hot enough to cook on.

OKAY. Wow. I need to eat and to sleep. It's been one day. Down, hormones, down.

"Aw, do you want me to kiss it to make it feel better?" I tease.

"Yes, actually," Wade grins. I roll my eyes.

"Well, you'll have to be a big boy. Because it's not happening."

"You owe me a kiss," Wade insists. "I risked my ass today to give you that peck on the cheek!"

"That was your own decision."

"You're a mean one, Beautiful, and I won't-"

"YOU DID WHAT TODAY?" Abram says. Obviously, Abram did not see the small peck on the cheek this morning. Wade laughs nervously, then talks with an unmoving mouth to me.

"I'm going to get my ass kicked, aren't I?" he aks, lips a straight line. I nod.

"Like you were at a whoop-ass buffet."

"Fuck..."


	4. Chapter 4

MEMO: OMG. This is totally embarrassing. Wow. Kcrane pointed out that the story is set in the 1970's, and Xbox and Mortal Combat hadn't been invented yet. Wow. I feel so dumb. But for the sake of the story, I'm deciding that the plot is slightly altered, so it's somewhat Alternative Universe? I don't know. I'm sooooooo sorry. Really, I feel horrible, because my lack of knowledge just ruined it. Wow. I'm really, really sorry. Work with me, please?

Anyway, now that I'm done with my rants of apologies (sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry), enjoy chaptier quatre! =D

Oh yeah, one more thing. If you're interested in being a beta reader, just say so in your review. =] It would be great. I really need one.

Song to listen to: Unknown Soldier -Breaking Benjamin

* * *

The next morning, while I'm cooking breakfast again, Stryker walks into the room, something that is, I've learned, a rare occurance for early morning.

"Men," he addresses. The guys straighten, serious. Even Wade looks serious, which, even if I've only known him for two days, disturbs me on several levels. I cross my arms, waiting for the pancakes in the skillet to finish. Stryker sense my attitude and clears his throat. "And Katelyn. We have a mission in El Salvador. Pack your bags. We leave tomorrow at 1900 hours."

"Yes, sir," echoes around the room, but one does not come from me. Stryker looks at me, beady eyes narrowing.

"Is there a problem, Katelyn?" he asks. I stay silent, glaring at him before turning back to the pancake which I almost burned. I flip it with ease, the pan sizzling. An awkward silence fills the room behind me as anger rolls off me in waves. I bet everyone in the room can feel it. Stryker clears his throat again, this time uncomfortably. "I see. Training is at regular timing at 600 hours. I will see you later."

"SO, how 'bout that Contra War, huh?" Wade breaks the silence. It works, conversation returns immediantly. I stay silent, and I'm so angry my hand is shaking, making the next batch of breakfast sloppy, but edible.

I'm going to be used like a weapon in war, just like I've been used as a weapon in war for the past ninty years. If I cry or go crazy, they'll lock me up all over again. I'll have to kill all over again, and this time, I'll probably kill innocent people. I've known men like Stryker. I shouldn't have even listened to him two days ago. I should have just killed him and tried to escape. Once I got past the electric fence around my cell, I would have been free, and Abram and I could have gone somewhere and settled down.

I'm so angry that my mutation activates without my knowledge. I'm shaking, tears of anger coming down my face. I should have never listened to Stryker. I should have known that training and a small shopping spree couldn't last. I should have known that I was going to be a weapon again. After all, why didn't I realize it the first time I saw the men in this team fight? They're all mutants. It was so obvious to me, I should kill myself for my wishful thinking.

I fling the searing hot pan across the room, barely feeling the heat that goes through my steel-hard hand. It embeds itself in the wall as I make a sudden dash for the window. I slam it up and fling myself out into the rainforest. I can hear the yells behind me but I ignore them and hit the ground, leaving a crater with my newfound weight. Then I make a run for it, dashing into the eternal length of the dense rainforest.

I hope at they don't find me in a million years.

* * *

I don't know how many miles I ran, but I end up at a waterfall. I'm hugging my knees to my chest, and my mutation is still activated in case they send Zero to track me. I'm hoping they're smart enough to send James or some one along those lines. Abram would be no help at all at this time. He's my brother, the only family I have and the closest person to me, but he wouldn't help calm me down, he wouldn't be able to tame my anger. He never has been. If I remember correctly, it was his idea to follow Stryker. For him, anything was better than prison in Mexico.

I'm begining to think that anything, even my old prison cell, is better than Stryker.

But knowing they sent my brother will be easy. I'll be able to hear him. Being heavier than you normally are to the power of four is hard to miss when you're listening for movement in the rainforest. It sounds like a bulldozer is going through. Stryker probably knew that. Victor wouldn't be a wise choice, considering I never liked him that much. He enjoyed death too much for me to enjoy his company. James is a good friend of mine, and probably understands what I'm going through, so he's probably the best candidate. They could send Bolt. He'd be able to weaken me enough with electricty to drag my sorry ass back to the house so Stryker can yell at me. Blob wouldn't do anything. He's got the IQ of a sea cucumber. And Wade, well, I'm not sure they'll even let Wade within a three mile radius of me. But, I have to admit, Wade is probably the best chance. Making me laugh would calm me down, and James is rarely funny like Wade.

There's a rustling in the leaves behind me, and I feel a sword at my neck. I sigh. "Wade, you know you can't kill me with those things, right?"

"I wasn't going to kill you. I was only making sure you were breathing. For all I know, you could have killed yourself," Wade says, sitting down next to me, whistling as he looks at the height of the cliff we're sitting on. "Got a thing for heights?"

"Water helps me," I manage, staring down at the water hitting the rocks below. It doesn't really. I just say that to give Wade a sense that I've calmed down. Water, in reality, just reminds me of more wars. Water was everywhere in Iper. Everywhere in Normandy, everywhere in Vietnam. It's not like I hate water, it is, after all, a human life line. It just brings back so many bag memories.

"Bullshit," Wade mutters. He's good at reading people. I'll give him that. I sigh, putting my arms on top of my knees and then resting my chin on my arms. Wade looks at me. "Does killing people really irk you that much?"

"What do you think?" I ask him harshly. Wade doesn't answer, and I understand that he' at least trying to be nice and serious for once. I sigh. "I'm sorry. Yes, it does. There's a reason that veterans are bitter, and they only live to fight in one war. When you fight non-stop for roughly seventy years, it gets to you."

"I imagine it would," Wade admits, looking out. The sun is starting to set behind us. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for," I response quietly. Wade stays silent after that, a very rare thing indeed. A few minutes go by before I speak up. "Did they send anyone else?"

"Everyone is looking for you," Wade nods while he says this. "I was just lucky enough to find you first. I was supposed to set off my walkie-talkie so that they could find us. Don't feel like it, though."

"Set it off. It's not like I can escape," I sigh. Wade raises an eyebrow at me.

"What do you mean? You could easily run away right now and never come back."

"I can't leave Abram like that. He's my brother. I would also be betraying James," I explain. Wade scoffs.

"James. Who gives a damn about James?"

"I do." I whip my head to glare at him. "Don't you ever forget that James matters to me. I've known him since 1918, and don't you ever underestimate the bond I have with him."

"Yeah, bond," Wade scoffs again. I'm outraged by his behavoir, and then it hits me.

"Oh my God, you're not jealous, are you?" I ask in disbelief. Wade says nothing, turning his head to look away from me. Wade. Wade is jealous about James and I? After two days of knowing me, he's jealous of the friendship I have with James. It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

And it makes me laugh. I can't help it. It starts out as a silent but angry laugh, but then grows happier and louder. Within a minute, I'm on my side laughing my ass off. Wade looks at me angrily.

"Why the hell are you laughing about?!" Wade suddenly explodes. I can hardly breath. It takes a large amount of effort to speak.

"You-you, a-a-are JEALOUS o-of the b-b-b-b-bond I have w-w-w-with JAMES?!" I ask, exploding with laughter. Wade glares.

"Yes! He had his hands all over you yesterday and your brother never threatens him and-"

"OH MY GOD, WADE," I say, stopping him, "James is like a BROTHER to me. I-I don't see him like that at ALL," I say, still laughing so hard my sides are in stitches. Wade gapes.

"Really? Zero was talking about how he was probably banging you in a dressing room and-"

"HE WHAT?" I demand, suddenly angry as hell and sitting up right, eyes on fire.

"Damn, talk about PMS..."


	5. Chapter 5

If I had previously thought that James walking in on me changing was the most socially awkward thing to happen in my life, I was very, very wrong. I've quickly learned that almost nothing in the world can top the social awkwardness of being a known female in the ranks of super strong (and in most cases, hot) mutant guys in a plane for several hours, especially when one of those guys is Wade.

"Please?" Wade asks, leaning in to me. Whoever thought of this brilliant seating arrangement is going to get one serious ass kicking. It's hard to tell, however, who set it up. Most of the team is either A) laughing or B) freezing their ass off. Shivering and laughter is very hard to distinguish at this point in time.

"No."

"PLEASE?" he tries again.

"No."

"What do I have to do, Katelyn, get on my knees and beg?!" Wade's biggest mistake is asking for a very specific situation.

"If it makes you think you'll actually get somewhere with this," I say in between shivers. Stryker, as always, is not with us. He's in a private jet somewhere behind us. I bet that bastard has a freaking fireplace in that thing. To entertain myself, I picture myself taking one of said fireplace's tools and stabbing Stryker repeatedly through the torso. I grin happily at the thought, but it soon vanishes when Wade's face is suddenly three inches from mine. I blink.

"PRETTY PLEASE?" Wade whines, on his knees with his hands glasped in front of him. He's attempting to use puppy eyes, but luckily enough they're not working on me.

But his eyes are really, really pretty. In a totally manly way, of course.

NO. No way! I will not give in! I've been through seventeen wars, damnit, and I will not fall to the weak attempt of Wade's baby browns. There is no way I'll give in. He's annoying. He hits on me every five seconds. I'm freezing and hungry and bitchy because I know I'm being used as a weapon, for Stryker, to top that bundle of joy off. I'm a hard, cold bitch out for blood at this point, and Wade will not win, damnit. Wade's attempts are futile. I'm a strong, stubborn, independant woman who can hold her own among the ranks of men and-

"Fine." God damn his eyes. God damn their sexiness/cuteness to the deepest, darkest, most grotesque depth of hell.

"YAY!" Wade cheers, then tackles me. Abram, thankfully, is asleep, though God knows how he's sleeping. Wade wraps his arms around my waist and I blush.

"Honestly, Katelyn, I thought you were tougher than that. You lasted through communist interogation, for Christ's sake," James teases. Wade smiles triumphantly.

"North Korea didn't have my puppy-dog eyes," he states proudly. I huff, and desperately try to ignore the fact that Wade's plan is working and that yes, I'm quickly becoming much warmer.

"I hate you," I say, glaring at Wade. He smirks.

"I love you, too, Beautiful," he says, hugging me closer. I try hard to fight down the blush I'm wearing. Victor makes a gagging signal at James. James glares at Wade. Blob is busy snoring, not that he would make a note-worthy comment if he was awake, anyway. Bolt is busy flying the plane and navigating, so we're saved from his smart-ass comments at least until the storm clears. John is making kissy sounds next to me.

"Awww, look at y'all. Aren't y'all the cutest couple-" John starts.

"Shut up," James and I say at the same time. We regard each other awkwardly before Zero scoffs. I turn my look to a glare and direct my heated stare at him.

"Would you like me to kick your ass for the thirty-fifth today?" I ask. Zero's nose is actually bleeding right now, curtosy of myself. He's also got a really nice black eye and a cut along his arm, but those were contributed by James, naturally.

"You had help," Zero retorts. I shrug.

"It's one thing to talk about some one behind their back. Involve other people and you're just asking for an ass-whooping."

"You're really comfty," Wade mumbles randomly, snuggling his face into my neck. I blush again.

"AWWWW. Look, she's blushing!" John teases. I glare.

"If my hands weren't trapped at the moment, I'd slap you so hard," I start to riggle away from Wade. He whines.

"Nooooo," he mumbles, tightening his grip. I struggle harder, but his grip simply tightens. If I activate my powers, I'll make the weight of the plane uneven and we'll all go crashing to the ground. "Stop moving!"

"Stop gripping so hard!"

"I wouldn't grip so hard if you'd just stop moving!"

"I wouldn't move if you'd just let me get up and kick his ass."

"You wouldn't kick Wraith's ass. He's too nice," Wade simply states. I sigh angrily, glaring at John. He tips his hat.

"You better be thanking your lucky goddamn stars, Wraith."

"I am, Miss Katelyn, I am," he says, chuckling.

"Stop moving!" Wade orders. I can barely breathe.

"Stop crushing me!"

"I wouldn't crush you if you'd just stop moving."

"I wouldn't move if you'd just stop crushing me."

"I wouldn't have to crush you if you just behaved like a good girl and stayed put so I could try and make moves on you while your brother isn't watching me."

"Oh my God, do you ever stop?" James yells. An awkward silence ensues. Well, an awkward silence for me, anyway. Wade grins.

"Not while I'm awake, no."

"I'm taking her down," Bolt says, and the plane dips. My stomach hits the floor and I clutch on to the nearest thing to me because I absolutely hate flying. Of course, with my luck, the closest thing next to me is Wade.

"Aw, you scared, Beautiful?" Wade torments me. I squeeze my eyes shut, my face buried in his chest.

"Shut up," I say through gritted teeth. I can hear the smirk in his voice as we land.

"You love me and you know it."

"Wade, I swear to God," James starts, but he's cut off by the plane landing roughly. Heat invades the plane when the hatch is opened and I pull away from Wade instantly just before Abram wakes up. Thank God.

"Welcome to Bolivia," Stryker says casually, standing at the end of the hatch. "We're here to save a mutant," he explains, "he's being held in that building," Stryker says, pointing to an old and abandoned skyscraper. I don't like the way Stryker said 'save', but I don't argue because he's not done. "The first one to get that mutant and kill all those who oppose you gets to skip the next mission."

"Out of my way," Zero says, making a move to be first in line. There is no way in hell Zero is skipping the next mission. I sock him in the face. Blood flies through the air and he's out cold in two seconds. The guys look at me in fear.

"You get in my way and I'll kill you, family or friend be damned," I state.

"So, does sexy buddy count?" Wade asks.

"Katelyn, there's not way in hell that you're going in alone- Does WHAT count?!" Abram asks violently. Wade laughs nervously.

"I mean, um..."

"Hey, geniuses, she left," James says, shaking his head. He looks at Stryker. "I'll go back her up."

"No," Stryker orders, looking after my general direction. "Let's see what she can do by herself."

"I'm not letting her go into there alone-" James argues.

"Fine, James, go," Stryker gives in. James runs after me. Wade looks around, knocks Abram out with the end of his sword and sprints like hell towards me.

So much for a solo mission.


	6. Author's Note

Okay. So, I think I should explain Katelyn and Abram's mutation, since a lot of people have asked me about it.

Basically, when alaramed or when they need it, their body tissue becomes as hard as steel. So, if you shoot them, the bullet stops against their skin. You can't really cut it, either. Their downfall is that they can be electricuted, since electricity can pass through metal without a problem. Also, metal is a heat conductor, so they can feel temperatures. Say if they step on a land mine. They'll be fine, their leg will be in tact and they won't burn, but they will feel the heat from said land mine and it will feel like they're burning. Their skin doesn't burn physically, like, they don't get blisters or nasty scars, but they still feel it, and even longer than normal people feel burns because steel is such a high heat conductor. Also, because their tissue turns to steel, or, really, turns into a material like steel, it weighs the same as metal, so her weight is seriously increased whenever her mutation is activated. Their aging is slowed, because they can live through almost anything. Their bodies fix whatever manages to get through their defense, such as cancer, sickness, the effects of aging, etc.

They're pretty much incapable of dying, unless you manage to kill them when their defense is down. Their aging is slowed, but they don't instantly heal like James and Victor. Their internal healing and anti-aging takes much more time. So, if you stabbed Abram in the heart when his mutation wasn't protecting him, he would bleed out and die.

And, to clear this confusion up, just one more thing. Here is a quote from Chapter Four.

"I fling the searing hot pan across the room, _**barely**_ feeling the heat that goes through my steel-hard hand. It embeds itself in the wall as I make a sudden dash for the window. I slam it up and fling myself out into the rainforest. I can hear the yells behind me but I ignore them and hit the ground, leaving a crater with my newfound weight. Then I make a run for it, dashing into the eternal length of the dense rainforest."

Barely should not be there. It was a total mess up. I'm very sorry for confusing you guys with her mutation. Seriously, I feel horrible. But thank you so much for asking, because this way at least I know we're all on the same page now. =]

If you have any more questions, just review the story or message me.


	7. Chapter 6

"Wade, what the hell are you doing here?" Is the very first thing out of my mouth after James, Wade, and I manage to kill the outside guards and cause panick on the inside.

"Murder's a hobby of mine. I just couldn't resist. Plus, now that we're not kicking ass, I can stare at your ass!" Wade says, giving a thumbs up. James shakes his head and looks at me, silently telling me to somehow knock Wade out or get him the hell out of here.

"There's no use now," I tell him, shaking my head. "Well, I guess we're a three man team right now. If James doesn't kill you before we get in, that is."

"Score!" Wade says. James stabs him in the arm. "Ow!" he hisses. "Bastard."

"Asshole."

"Kitty-cat."

"Whiny bitch."

"Oh my God, can we have maturity between you two for just two freaking seconds?" I shriek, punching a guy in the nose as I throw the doors open. "Now, if you're here to defend my skinny white ass, I highly suggest you do so now!"

The guys don't need to be told twice. Another mess of spurting blood and clashing metal and screams goes by before we storm up the stairs. I have to turn of my mutation, or else I'll break the stairs. Wade and James block me from bullets as we climb sixty-two stories. By the time we get to the top, we've probably killed more people than the Khmer Rouge. I try not to look at the blood on Wade's blades or the bodies on the stairwell as we pass. I kick the door open, sending it flying. Bullets come flying, and a yet another blood bath ensues. I try to kill without looking, and I try to kill on contact. I've lost count of how many necks I've snapped within the past fifteen minutes. James shoots the last guy standing point blank. I wince as I hear the bullet tear through the man's skull and what's inside (though there can't be much). I look around. There were a lot of men. It's actually a pretty good thing I had Wade and James helping me. I would have been pretty worn by the time I finished of the security details if I'd done this by myself.

"Knock him out and let's get the hell out here," James orders. I nod and take one of Wade's swords without asking.

"Hey! I was going to use that!"

"What did I say about killing you if you got in my way?" I bark at him.

"You never did verify if sex buddies counted or not." Is his typical smart-ass reply. I kick open the door yet again and look at the cage. It's a kid who's barely eleven, tied up in a straight jacket. He looks terrified and confused out of his mind. My eyes soften. I've seen worse in my lifetime, but it's hard not to cry when children are involved in things like this.

"Hi," I say softly, my voice cracking. He looks at me, one blue eye and one green, like a deer caught in headlights. His breathing is erratic. "I'm here to take you somewhere safe," I say slowly, as softly as I can. He settles, his breathing going down some. I break the cage door and pick him up easily.

"Why do you feel like metal?" he asks quietly.

"You could say it's my curse," I say. "But don't worry. No one will hurt you when I'm here, okay?"

"...Okay," he says. "Why are you carrying a sword?"

"To kill anyone who tries to hurt you," I explain, even though it's not really why I have it. I have it to knock him out. "Relax."

"Okay," he says again. He looks over my shoulder at James and Wade just long enough for me to move my arm and knock him out as gently as possible with the butt of the sword. His body goes limp as I hand the sword back to Wade. James says nothing to me as we walk back to Stryker; he knows how I am when kids are involved in things like war. Wade, on the other hand, does not.

"Well, look at this little runt. What's so special about him, anyway?" he wonders out loud, poking the kid. I slap his hand away.

"Stop it, Wade."

"What's this thing do?" Wade asks, almost poking the bracelet the kid's wearing. I slap his hand away.

"Don't touch that."

"Why?"

"Because we don't know what it does!"

"But if I touch it, we'll find out. Problem solved."

"No, it won't. You'll probably end up killing the poor boy."

"Like it would-"

"Wade, don't even go there. Say something stupid about kids involved in stuff like this and she'll rip your balls off," James warns. Wade changes his game.

"I love kids!" Wade says. An awkward silence ensues, and Wade fixes his statement, "but not in that weird, freaky, Michael Jackson way." The awkwardness prevails, so Wade hangs back. "Okay. So. I'll shut up and make sure we don't get killed." James smiles at me.

"You know I wouldn't really rip his balls off, right?" I ask. James nods.

"I know. I just like messing with him."


	8. Chapter 7

I hold the kid on the plane ride. I don't trust half of the scum-bags Stryker calls my teammates with a bar of soap, let alone a child. The child, however unconcious, shivers. I wish I was just a bit bigger. Maybe then I could offer him some more heat. I feel bad just looking at the kid, because I honestly don't know if I'm taking him to a safer place. Victor, Zero, and Stryker call it a safer place, but they're not exactly people I trust. James hasn't questioned Stryker's plans outloud, but I can tell by the way that he studied Stryker before the plane went up that he's just as unsure of this as I am. James and I know about what happens to kids in war. World War I was probably the worst of them all, but then again, James and I have only fought together in both world wars. Memories flood into my mind, making me hold the child closer as my replays the event to me in black and white.

* * *

It was 1917 in Iper, Belgium. The troops were in the trenches, dead bodies piling up above. James was smoking a cigar even though I told him not to around me. The machine gunner next to me called me a pussy for coughing. I wa tempted to punch him in the face but I didn't, considering he was the only reason why I wasn't running my ass all over the no-man's-land and murdering every German I saw. The weather was miserable; rainy, muddy, and cold. My feet were freezing in the icy mud in my boots, but I wasn't complaining outloud. At least I would never get shot. Well, I'd never get shot as long as my mutation was active, anyway. I was starting to get sick of the smoke and got up, a bullet rickoshaying off my cheekbone. The guy next to me swore fluently.

"What are you trying to do, get yourself killed?" he asked. I looked at him and he suddenly realized who I was. "Ah, I'm sorry, Cainson. Excuse me."

I nodded, glaring. I wanted to open my mouth and swear like a sailor at him but I couldn't, since I was passing as a mute soldier. I glared and considered just killing the idiot. James kicked me in the shin. The sound of his souls hitting my leg made a metalic sound that made the guy next to me scoot just a little further away. He looked at me questioningly; it was one of the only guy-eye-sign-language things I understood. His head tilted to the side. I shook my head and gestured behind me, meaning I wa going to bed. He nodded but watched me as I left. A guy fell dead next to me. It made my day that much worse. I kicked the corpse up and over the trench and clomped down the stairs, in an ugly mood and ready to kill just about anyone, heritage be damned. James called after me but I kept walking.

He knew why I was like this. I wa a woman and I had to hide it from everyone but him and Abram. It was difficult and digusting and depressing. It was even worse since James wasn't even supposed to know that I was.

It happened my first week in Iper. I was changing in my the bunk room, making sure no one was around. Sadly, James walked in to change his tattered shirt, and, well, he saw everything. Naturally, my first instinct was to kick his ass. After that, it was awkward and he was unsure of what to do: trust each other and fight or have James tell the general that I was a woman among the ranks. Thankfully, James chose the first idea. And since that had happened, we had somehow managed to befriend each other. I guess, in a sense, we understood each other and put up with each other better than we tolerated our brothers. James, whatever he was to me during the war, was the closest thing I had to a best friend. Abram almost killed him when he found out that James knew, but afterwards, he let it slide. War is ugly, and this one was my first. I was not used to my act quiet yet, and my control over my emotions is dwindling away as the war progressed.

I stormed down hallway after hallway, just thinking about all the horrible things war brought and why I was even staying here and fighting. I guess you could say that I felt like I had to, with James and Abram and Victor depending on me to be in their group of immortal brothers. I'd feel like I wasn't doing anything if I became pacifist. Peace never solved anything, it seemed, and being a whiny bitch about a war was not going to make it go away.

In the midst of my thoughts, I came down a poorly lit hallway. I heard crying. But it was not that of a man, nor a woman. It was too broken to be a man's, too low and far too undramatic to be a woman's. I came around the corner and looked around. At the end of the ten foot hallway was a boy chackled to the wall. He was crying cradling himself, and he was bleeding. I gasped, running to him.

"Are you okay? Oh my God," I said, freaking out as my motherly instincts kicked in. I started to cry. When he looked at me in a confused way, I tried out my rough Belgian."Can you speak? Talk to me!"

"Th-they hurt me," he choked, sobbing. I gathered him up into my arms, rocking him. "They cut me and called me a freak and beat me."

"Why did they do that? Why are they?" I asked, so confused. All I wanted to do was help this poor child.

"They called me a freak because of this," the boy said, taking his arm and holding it out in front of him. His skin started to move, and his arm turned in to the shape of a hammer. I looked at it.

"Is that all you did?"

"Yes," he answered. I shook my head.

"You have a gift. Never let anyone tell you different," I said. "And you might be surprised, there a men just like you."

"Really?" the boy asked, looking up at me. I nodded.

"Feel my arm," I said. He placed his hand on my wrist. "Feels normal, right?"

"Yes."

"Feel it now," I said, my skin rippling slightly. His hand scraped along steel. His eyes widened.

"How did you do that?!"

"It's my gift. I'm bullet proof, too," I grinned. The boy looked at me with even wider eyes.

"Are you God?"

"I wish. If I was I'd end this stupid war," I muttered. "How long have you been here?"

"I don't know. Since the men came to my city?" he wondered. He shook his head, tears dropping to the damp stone floor. "It's been very long."

"I'm going to get you out of here," I promised. "But as for now I need for you to wait here. I'm going to get a friend who's going to help me."

"Is he like you?" the boy asked, looking at me as I stood. I smirked.

"You could say that. He's not bullet proof, but he never dies, which is what makes him important right now," I said before I left.

* * *

"You're going to get your ass kicked out of the army," James muttered quietly as we walked down the hallways, trying not to look suspicious. I glared.

"I don't care. This is a child, James. A child has no place in war, especially as a prisoner. Look at him," I demanded, pointing to the child. James eyes widened.

"Where did he get those scratches?" James asked, looking at the long, claw like scartches in his arms. I shook my head.

"I don't know. I'll ask," I said, switching languages. "Where'd you get those scarpes? My friend wants to know."

"There's a man with really long nails. They're really hard, too, like claws," he said. My heart dropped. There was only one man like that. Victor. My heart shattered. Victor, after a year of fighting along with us, was abusing a defenseless child. I shook my head, willing the tears to go away. James looked at me.

"What?"

"He said a dog attacked him not too long ago," I lied. James didn't need to know that his brother was like this. Not now. I praised God that James was worried over the kid and not me. He would have known that I was lying. "Are you going to help me or what?"

James nodded, picking the kid up. I broke the chains and we headed out the closest door. The warfare in the trenches echoed behind us, and James gave the child to me. A bullet hit my shoulder and got stuck there. Carefully, the child took it out of its embedded place and looked at the flattened metal in awe.

"You really are bullet proof," he whispered. I grinned. It felt good to be the hero rather than the murderer. It soon changed, though. Germans came at us. Apparently, they were trying to invade from the back and we were the first ones to see them. James swore and got in front of me, trying to block bullets with his body as I ran back to the trench. But then I felt it. It was just a barely-there sensation. Then I heard it. The sickening cracking of bone, the splattering of brain and blood. I looked down to the boy in my arms, blood soaking into my shirt and pants. He was dead, half of his face blown away.

I was never the same after that day.

* * *

"Hey, you okay?" James asks, worried. I come back from my trip down the memory lane almost in tears, holding on to the child for dear life. I wipe my eyes, nodding.

"I'm fine," I say, shaking. Abram frowns. He doesn't know that story. It's a story only ever shared between James and I. Wade looks at me, and I'm unsure of his emotions. He's hard to read at this point. I'm starting to think James was right.

Because for the rest of the four hour plane ride, I picture myself killing German soldiers and Victor is the most grotesque ways I know.


	9. Chapter 8

I clutch the kid to me as we enter the house. Instead of opening the door, I kick it down. Damn memories. The door skids across the room and I fight back the tears that are trying to get the best of me. I don't know where this kid is going or what Stryker is going to do with him and it bugs me. I just hope it's better than what his situation in Bolivia was.

"Katelyn, um, sweetheart," James starts. I whip my head to look at him.

"WHAT?" I snap at him. Wade blinks at me. James looks at the ground like it pains him to say whatever he's going to say.

"We have to give the kid to Stryker's men now," he says slowly. For a moment, my grip tightens on the child, but a second after that, I shake my head, passing the child to the odd looking soldier who just came in. He looks at me oddly and I glare.

"What, you never seen a woman near tears before? Get out of my sight before I claw your eyes out of your head!" The soldier leaves in a hurry. He doesn't have to be told twice. James comes up behind me, putting an arm on my shoulder.

"Katelyn, if this is all about that stuff in Iper-"

"Don't touch me, Jimmy!" I bark at him, shoving his hand off. The guys look at me in silence. "Just- don't touch me," I mumble. James stays next to me, so I walk to my room. If my door was capable of slamming, I would have done so. I struggle to turn off my mutation and when I do, I throw my fist at the wall. My knuckles bleed and I wince at the pain. Blood stains at the wall where my hand hit it. Tears mark their way down my face and I shake my head, slapping myself.

"Snap out of it. You've seen worse. You've done worse," I try to remind myself. It's not working. I slap myself again before there's a knock at my door.

"Katelyn?" Wade asks, knocking lightly. "Katelyn, come on. Don't be upset..."

"Says the man trying to get in my pants. Why the heck do you care about me?" I scoff. Wade sighs.

"I'm a wisecrack. I'm supposed to be funny and obnoxious. Come on, Katelyn. Abram wants to murder everyone in the room, James is freaking pacing, and Wraith tried to cook and ended up setting the curtains on fire."

"Did he put the fire out?" I ask quietly. Wade chuckles, nervously.

"Not really... we're kind of trained to make fires, not put them out..."

"Idiots," I sigh, sliding my door open. Wade grins.

"Actually, there is no fire," Wade admits. I smell the air just to make sure. All I can smell is Wade and whatever he wears. "I was worried."

"So is everyone else, apparently," I say, looking down the hallway to see that James is indeed pacing, occasionally tugging at his hair and taking a deep puff of his cigar. Wade grins at me, leaning closer to me.

"You know how Kitty Cat feels about you," he says simply. I allow a sad smile.

"He's just a friend." Wade rolls his eyes at my statement but says nothing, shaking his head, smiling. I look at him. "Why are you smiling?"

"Because I have the uncanny gift of making you laugh even when you want to murder my (incredibly good-looking) ass," Wade says, smirking. I hold back my laughter and send him a weak glare. He smiles.

"See? You want to laugh. Your eyes are smiling." Wade teases. I glare at him again.

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do," he says, still grinning from ear to ear. I glare, but I'm smiling. I can feel it. "See? I rock. I'd like to see Jimmy accomplish that!" Wade pumps his fist like he just won a cage fight against him rather than making me laugh. I roll my eyes.

"Well, whatever. Why did you come down here?" I ask, folding my arms and leaning against my doorframe. Wade grins innocently.

"Oh, no reason. You know, I was just worried about you and so-"

"Wade, if you came down here in an attempt to steal my underwear, you're going to be seriously dissapointed," I say. After dinner after my shopping spree, Wade had found it incredibly funny to steal my underwear and show it to everyone in the room, and those everyone's just happened to be male. Wade laughs.

"Admit it, you didn't mind! It was me, for crying out loud, I can get away with stuff like that with you."

"You had to have a doctor sew your leg back on," I say, looking down at where his knee had been previously been ripped from the rest of his leg by none other than Abram. He shrugs like it was no big deal and I roll my eyes. If I find anything other than the obvious annoying about Wade, it's that he, like James, Zero, Victor and almost everyother man I spent time with recently took their spontaneous healing for granted.

"It was worth it," Wade murmurs, getting closer to me, leaning down so he nears my height. I shy away slightly.

"Wade," I whisper, "what are you doing?"

"What I came here to do," he says simply, grinning before he puts his mouth over mine. It feels amazing. I thought the last thing I needed was touching a few moments ago. Now I can't seem to figure out why. I stand on my toes so that the height difference isn't as awkward, and Wade puts his hands on either side of my head to keep his balance. I'm new to this, but I go with the flow, wrapping one of my arms around his neck and letting my fingers go into his hair, playing with it, while the other hand grips his shirt. I nip his lip, testing things out since I've never really kissed a guy like this (or pretty much at all), and Wade's breath hitches. One hand comes down from the wall and his fingers go into the belt loop of my pants, tugging me closer. He pins me closer to the wall and deepens the kiss. I swear to God that I'm going to faint. Seventy years of waiting for this is starting to seem almost worth it. When his tongue works his way into my mouth it's weird at first. I have no idea what to do. But luckily, and unfortunately, I don't have time to figure it out.

"Wade, what the hell are you doing with Katelyn?"


	10. Chapter 9

"Wade, what the hell are you doing with Katelyn?" Zero asks loudly. Wade flips him off. Zero shakes his head and walks away. I break away.

"Wade, you should go. He's going to tell Abram, and after he finds out, a leg is not the only thing that'll be ripped off," I say. Wade scoffs and rolls his eyes.

"Whatever," Wade mutters. He looks upset. He glares at the wall next to my head and shakes his eyes. "Whatever," he says again and starts to walk away. I grab his arm.

"What do you mean, 'whatever'? Are you angry at me?" I ask. He glares.

"Yes," he says harshly. "If you didn't like me kissing you, you should have told me-"

"Wade, seriously?" I interupt him, looking at him like he's an idiot. "Why the hell do you think I didn't like it?"

"You were so eager to get me off-"

"Yeah, so Abram doesn't murder you in ways only taught in North Korea," I explain. "God, why do you have to take this the wrong way?"

"I'm not taking this the wrong way. You're scared of him, aren't you?" he says, looking at me. "For God's sake, if you want to kiss me, don't let Abram get in the fucking way, Katelyn!"

"I'm not scared of him. I could take him and you know it," I almost yell. "You're just making this complicated."

"How is this complicated? I'm physically attracted to you and I want to kiss you. It's not that hard to comprehend. Fuck, Katelyn, you act like you've never even kissed a guy before-"

"I've never kissed anyone before," I practically scream. It makes Wade shut up. "So yes, this is a bit complicated for me, Wade. I've been a woman hiding her gender in the military for seventy years, and when I wasn't doing that, I was either in New York starting fist fights with my brother or locked in a cage in Mexico with my brother. The only person who ever knew that I was a woman is James and-"

"Oh, and like he's never tried to pull anything on you before," Wade scoffs. I glare at him.

"No, he hasn't. God damnit, Wade, how many times do I have to tell you that I've never, ever, in my entire life, kissed a guy before to make you believe me? Even if I had a dust-sized speck of a chance, Abram always got in the way. That's why it's complicated to me. That's why this is new to me, why I didn't really know how to kiss you back, okay? It's not helping that I've known you for barely a week, either!"

"Come on, Katelyn, like you've never seen a man who wants you-"

"If I have, I didn't know how to deal with it, just like how I don't know how to deal with it now," I yell. "God, Wade, if this is your idea of cheering me up, you're doing a _fucking _fantastic job!"

"My idea of cheering you up didn't really involve the unknown fact that you'd never been with man, okay?" Wade yells back, tugging at his hair. "You should have said something."

"I'm saying it now."

"Before I kissed, you, damnit. I might have been-"

"What? Nicer?" I ask, looking at him like he's stupid. "You would have laughed and not believed me and carried on with it anyway. Don't think for a second that you would do otherwise because you know you wouldn't."

Wade looks at me. We both sigh at the same time.

"Look, Wade, I need way more time to get used to this... whatever, that we've got going on," I manage. "I have no idea what to do and-"

"I can easily teach you what to do," Wade insists, coming closer. I put a hand out to stop him.

"And Abram-"

"Abram has no fucking bussiness in your love-slash-whateverthehellthisis interests," Wade points out, angry. I sigh.

"I know, but right now, I just want to actually get to know you a bit more. I want to take things slow, okay? We barely know each other, so the last thing we should be doing is-"

"Having this conversation. Normal people meet in bars and two hours later they're scoring in the sheets. So I have no idea what the huge deal is."

"The huge deal, Wade, are the facts that A) we're not normal people meeting in a club, B) Abram and, C) like I've said about a million times, I need time and space to handle this, okay? Romance or romping in the sheets has been about the very last thing on my mind for the past seventy years or so."

"You!" Abram bellows from down the hall. I groan. "Get the hell away from my sister!"

"Wade, I'm going to castrate you!" James shouts, claws extended.

"Do you see what I mean?" I basically plead. "Guys, we're just talking. Ever think Zero just enjoys calling me a whore?"

"That son-of-a-bitch!" Abram shouts and goes hounding for Zero. James stands where he is, staring. It makes me feel awkward. Wade sighs.

"Promise me one thing," Wade says in a low and quiet voice.

"Okay, what?"

"You won't go off with another guy while you sort this... whatever the hell you want to call it, I don't know, issue or whatever, out. Okay? I'm the guy involved here. No one else."

The slight possessiveness in his voice somehow manages to turn me on and scare me at the same time. I nod.

"Okay. I promise."

"Good," he grins, kissing my cheek. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a gunman to decapitate."

I shake my head and laugh as Wade zips down the hall, waving to James as he goes. James looks at me as I dial the code for my door. I look at him.

"You alright, James?" I shout down to him.

He nods like it pains him.


	11. Chapter 10

"God, do I love this," I say, grinning wickedly as Zero's bullets practically bounce off my body. Zero starts to freak out, as usual, and starts to run. I catch up with him easily and send him flying into a tree by literally kicking his ass. James and Victor cringe as the tree cracks down and lands on him. Abram smiles, pride rolling off of him in waves.

"That's my sister!" he says, grinning as he slings an arm around my shoulders. Bolt shakes his head.

"It's amazing how I'm the only person who can actually beat them," Bolt sighs, laughing. I frown.

"It's only because you've got that damn laser thing. That hurts like a bitch," Abram whines about Bolt's latest creation, some weird electric laser that was specifically made to take us down. Bolt grins and points the laser at Abram and the electricity passes through him to me. We both fall back. Victor laughs loudly and Wade snickers. If I wasn't half way to paralisis, I would so kick their asses...

"That's enough, Bolt, take it easy on her," James says, making Wraith laugh, "Or at least wait until she's far enough from Abram so that it won't effect her. Then you can have a party with Abram if you want."

"Oh thanks, Jimmy," Abram spits as the electricity cuts. God, do I hate electricity. I hope it ends up causing the apocolypse.

"You're welcome," James says cheerfully, or at least, as cheerfully as James can be. Blob is snroing in the corner. It's a miracle that he's actually on this team. He doesn't really seem to have any benifits rather than being big. God knows he's got the IQ of a freaking sea cucumber...

"Son-of-a-bitch," Abram jokes, tackling James. A small, but playful fight ensues. I roll my eyes. A month of living together, and they still act five and a half. Last week they were fighting about me, and now they're best friends punching each other in the face whilst wrestling in mud.

Men.

"I'm gonna head inside," I say, jerking a thumb towards the house. Abram stops for a minute.

"Okay, but no funny bussiness. I'm hungry and I want food, woman!"

"Sexist pig," I mutter.

"I HEARD THAT!" Abram shouts back. I resist the urge to flip him off and head inside.

* * *

"You always smell so good when you get out of the shower," he comments, kissing me before I have my foot half way out the door. I laugh.

"Thanks, Wade. I need to cook, now, so can I get through?" I ask. He makes a face like he's thinking about it before he grins evilly.

"If I get a real kiss, then I _might _let you go and cook."

"Wade, really," I insist. Wade has found, over the month, that the most effective way of shutting me up is kissing me. Between kisses, I try to get my point across. "Wade- really- Abram is going to -kill me -or probably you- if he walks in here-and-"

Wade breaks away, annoyed. He holds my face in his hands and looks me in the eyes. "This is the only time I've gotten alone with you all week. Shut up and kiss me back."

I do as I'm told.

* * *

"Katelyn?" James shouts. "Katelyn, why haven't you started cooking yet?"

"Shit!" I swear queitly. Wade grins cheekily. I slap his arm and try to look remotely angry, but it doesn't work. He kisses my forehead and bolts into his room before James rounds the corner. I'm thankful that I left my hair to dry on its own. It's still wet, which gives the illusion that I was taking an hour long shower rather than kissing Wade for forty minutes. I straighten out my clothes and rake my fingers through my hair, grinning at him. "Hey, James. What's up? Why you yelling?"

"You hadn't started cooking yet. Just wondered what was going on," James says, looking at my face and then Wade's door. "Wade in yet?"

"I don't know. I've been in the shower for almost an hour. Probably used all the hot water," I lie. James looks at me skeptically.

"Really?"

"Yep. Just had to have one of those insanely long girly showers. It's a once a month thing for me," I say. "Plus with Bolt's laser, the water helped a lot. That thing stung like a bitch."

"Yeah, I've heard. I got a mouthful from Abram about it," James grins. For the first time in my life, I thank God for Bolt's evil invention.

"Right, so, what do you want for dinner?" I ask, walking towards the kitchen and running a hand through my dripping hair again.

"Orchids," James says. I lift an eyebrow.

"Um, James, honey, orchids aren't edible-"

"No," James says quickly, "sorry, I was just trying to figure out what you smelled like."

"Okay," I say awkwardly before I hunt for food in the fridge. "So, what do you want to eat?"

"Um, anything's pretty much okay with me," James says. I don't think I've ever heard James use the word 'um' before. I look at him oddly.

"You feeling okay, Jimmy?" I ask, putting a hand to his forehead even though if he was sick his body would instantly heal. James can't get sick, we both know that, but I do the gesture anyway. James just stares at me and for the first time around James, I feel incredibly uncomfortable. "Maybe you should go lie down," I insist. James shakes his head.

"No, no, I'm fine. You just look good right now."

"Well, thanks," I say. "So anything's okay with you?"

"Pizza sounds really good, actually," Wade says, strolling into the room in just a towel. I duck back into the fridge trying to hide my blush. It's not like I haven't seen shirtless men before, really, but God damnit, this is Wade, and as much as I hate to admit this, I think I might actually like him.

Just a bit. Teeny, tiny, atomic particle bit. Barely the size of a sand grain. I swear.

...

Shut up, okay? Just shut up.


	12. Chapter 11

We end up calling the pizza place in the town. No big deal. I'm thankful that I don't have to cook for once. Stryker seems less than pleased with our 'healthy' choice in food, but most of us ignore him. It's not like I care about what Stryker says anyway. Sick, sadistic bastard. I hope he rots in the deepest, darkest, most grotesque pit in hell... along with Wade's eyes.

"Can I walk with you please?" Wade begs as I glide into the living room. I'm dressed to go out, or at least to pick up the pizza. Simple, somewhat loose fitting dark gray tank top that's thin enough to let my skin breathe with a colorful logo sprawled over my chest, jeans, flip flops. I look at him. Big mistake. He's pulling the puppy dog eyes again. I bite my lip.

"Why is going with me so important?" I ask. James glares at Wade.

"Yeah, Wade, why _is _it so important?" he asks. I swear that his voice creates enough tension in the room to defeat a chainsaw.

"Just don't want her getting hurt," Wade replies, looking at James warily. "What's wrong, Kitty Kat, am I marking in your territory?"

"That's it!" James starts, coming at Wade. Wade draws his blades quickly, ready to take James down. I step between them, hands out.

"Oh my God, can we get along for two minutes? You've lived together with me here for a month and it's been nothing but fighting!" I almost shriek. James glares at me like I'm taking Wade's side on this. Now that I think about it, I just might be.

"How can you take his side on this? He's been trying to get in your pants from day one!" James shouts. Bolt has stopped beating Zero's ass in Guitar Hero. Blob stares, obviously confused beyond belief. Wraith, thankfully, is not present. He's in the shower. God knows that more people in the room will only make this situation worse. Thank God that Abram is outsid-

Speak of the devil.

"What the hell is this about?" he asks roughly, looking at me like I'm egging them on. I shake my head.

"You don't even want to know."

"No, I think he does," Wade says, taking up his ever-famous smart-ass attitude. "You see, dear Abram, I've got the hots for your sister-"

"You WHAT?"

"Let me finish!" Wade says, putting up a hand. "But anyway, so, I've got the hots for her. Jimmy over here obviously doesn't like it one bit, because he pretty much sees her as his already."

"He does not," I attempt to defend Jimmy. Wade raises his eyebrows, looking from me to James like he doesn't believe a single word out of my mouth at this point. I glare.

"To make things interesting, I'll let you in on a little secret: darling Katelyn and I have been making out in the hallway every few days or so while you're not looking. So kudos, to you Zero, for labelling her as a whore," Wade says, saluting Zero. "But, I'm afraid she's _my _whore, so if you'll kindly go into the street and find your own-"

"Don't talk about her like you own her," James seethes. Wade grins at Abram.

"See? Kitty Kat thinks she's all his. I bet-"

"You've been doing what?" Abram looks at me like I'm dirty. It's too much drama over a few make out sessions.

"Making out, did you not hear me the first time?" Wade inquires.

"Shut up!" I order him. Abram and James look ready to kill him. James looks at me like I've betrayed him. "God, Wade, why can't you keep your mouth shut?"

"They would have found out eventually," Wade says, grinning and acting innocent. I have the urge to slap him, but at the same time, I know I'd probably end up kissing him a few minutes later.

Damn, I really am screwed.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Abram demands, coming over. "I could have stopped him! And none of this would have happened, and-"

"Abram, the whole point of you not finding out was so that it wouldn't stop. If I wanted it to stop, I could have sent him flying through a wall with my hands tied behind my back, and you know that," I say, looking at Abram with what I hoped was slight anger. "I've been fighting in war and killing people or been locked in cages for seventy years. Don't you think it's about time I actually had a man in my life other than you and the men we kill? A little fooling around never killed a girl, Abram."

"No but-" he starts. I glare.

"No buts. I like it and I don't want it to stop, obviously. Get in the way of the only slight chance at romance I've had in my ninty years of life and I'll take your ass down." My voice is so cold and so assuring in my threat that Aram blinls, shrinking away slightly.

Abram stares at me. I doubt it's ever crossed his mind that I might actually want a boyfriend or a romantic relationship. Ever. I can honestly say that I think my statement is shocking to him. I turn to James.

"The same goes for you, James. I don't care how much your brotherly instincts are telling you tear his head off. I like whatever the hell I have with him and that's final."

James stares at me like I just sunk a knife into his chest. I whirl around to face Zero. "As for you: say I'm a whore again and I'll castrate you, you motherfucking son-of-a-bitch."

The room is silent. Abram backs away slowly, and for the first time, I can honestly say that he might be scared of me. It makes me feel like I'm the most unstoppable thing in the world. I grab my leather jacket from the hook and step past Wade, opening the door. "I'm going to get the pizza. Wade is coming with me because I enjoy his company. If I find any of you following us, I'm going to kick your ass so hard your nose will bleed. Understood?"

The guys just stand there a nod. I grin.

"Good. Have a nice time while I'm out," I say. Wade closes the door. I start to walk down the street like I'm a central powerhouse of confidence. Wade whistles, grinning.

"What?" I ask, slowing my walk.

"Nothing. I just love it when you sway you hips like that," Wade says. "And you just kicked some serious ass, not literally, but you get the point," he says. I grin, shrugging.

"I try."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the house, the guys stand there for a minute, a bit stunned. After all, sure, they'd all been through terrible wars. Sure, they'd all faced torture and pain and bullets and hits and cuts. They were pretty much dealing with deadly injuries everyday of their lives and living through them with almost practiced ease.

But none of them had ever faced the wrath of a woman, and they weren't exactly in a real hurry to, either.


	13. endauthor's note

**OH MY GOD. 100 REVIEWS?! This is absolutely insane!...**

**Thanks for all the awesome reviews guys! =D**

Anyway, I'd seriously like to thank everyone. I'm insanely happy that you guys liked this story so much! Really, the reviews I got from you guys made my days. This was just sort of a spur of the moment story, and I really like where it is now, so I think I'll label this one complete. The whole point of the story was for Katelyn to stand up for herself and kind of fall for Wade, so, my good readers, this is where it ends. For this part of their romance at least. Trust me, there shall be a sequel, if not many. I can only go so long without starting the sequel. Expect it to start up soon. Give me a week, three weeks tops. I'll cave within the month.

LOTS OF LOVE TO MY INCREDIBLE READERS!

_it'scurtainsforyou_


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